Primary Forest — Area in Southern Asia

Southern Asia: Primary Forest — Area was 14,502 1000 ha in 2025. ▬ Flat

Latest (2025)
14,502 1000 ha
Change on year
up 0.0%
Rank
20th
of 31 groups
All-time high
15,072 1000 ha
in 2015
All-time low
14,087 1000 ha
in 1990
Years of data
36
1990–2025

Primary Forest — Area in Southern Asia, 1990–2025

05.0k10.0k15.0k1990200720251990: 14.1k 1000 ha1991: 14.1k 1000 ha1992: 14.2k 1000 ha1993: 14.3k 1000 ha1994: 14.3k 1000 ha1995: 14.4k 1000 ha1996: 14.4k 1000 ha1997: 14.5k 1000 ha1998: 14.6k 1000 ha1999: 14.6k 1000 ha2000: 14.7k 1000 ha2001: 14.7k 1000 ha2002: 14.7k 1000 ha2003: 14.7k 1000 ha2004: 14.8k 1000 ha2005: 14.8k 1000 ha2006: 14.8k 1000 ha2007: 14.9k 1000 ha2008: 14.9k 1000 ha2009: 14.9k 1000 ha2010: 14.9k 1000 ha2011: 15.0k 1000 ha2012: 15.0k 1000 ha2013: 15.0k 1000 ha2014: 15.0k 1000 ha2015: 15.1k 1000 ha2016: 15.0k 1000 ha2017: 14.8k 1000 ha2018: 14.7k 1000 ha2019: 14.6k 1000 ha2020: 14.5k 1000 ha2021: 14.5k 1000 ha2022: 14.5k 1000 ha2023: 14.5k 1000 ha2024: 14.5k 1000 ha2025: 14.5k 1000 ha

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Measured in 1000 ha.

Analysis

In 2025, primary forest — area in Southern Asia stood at 14,502 1000 ha.

The figure is down 3.8% over ten years.

Over the whole period, primary forest — area in Southern Asia peaked at 15,072 1000 ha in 2015 and was at its lowest, 14,087 1000 ha, in 1990.

That places Southern Asia 20th out of 31 groups with data for 2025, putting it in the middle of the range.

Primary Forest — Area in Southern Asia, year by year

Annual values for Primary Forest — Area in Southern Asia, 1990 to 2025.
Year 1000 ha Change
1990 14,087 1000 ha —
1991 14,145 1000 ha +0.4%
1992 14,203 1000 ha +0.4%
1993 14,261 1000 ha +0.4%
1994 14,318 1000 ha +0.4%
1995 14,376 1000 ha +0.4%
1996 14,434 1000 ha +0.4%
1997 14,492 1000 ha +0.4%
1998 14,550 1000 ha +0.4%
1999 14,608 1000 ha +0.4%
2000 14,666 1000 ha +0.4%
2001 14,694 1000 ha +0.2%
2002 14,722 1000 ha +0.2%
2003 14,749 1000 ha +0.2%
2004 14,777 1000 ha +0.2%
2005 14,805 1000 ha +0.2%
2006 14,832 1000 ha +0.2%
2007 14,860 1000 ha +0.2%
2008 14,888 1000 ha +0.2%
2009 14,916 1000 ha +0.2%
2010 14,943 1000 ha +0.2%
2011 14,969 1000 ha +0.2%
2012 14,995 1000 ha +0.2%
2013 15,020 1000 ha +0.2%
2014 15,046 1000 ha +0.2%
2015 15,072 1000 ha +0.2%
2016 14,951 1000 ha -0.8%
2017 14,831 1000 ha -0.8%
2018 14,710 1000 ha -0.8%
2019 14,590 1000 ha -0.8%
2020 14,470 1000 ha -0.8%
2021 14,476 1000 ha +0.0%
2022 14,482 1000 ha +0.0%
2023 14,489 1000 ha +0.0%
2024 14,495 1000 ha +0.0%
2025 14,502 1000 ha +0.0%

Averages by decade

DecadeAverage LowestHighest Years
1990s 14,348 1000 ha 14,087 1000 ha 14,608 1000 ha 10
2000s 14,791 1000 ha 14,666 1000 ha 14,916 1000 ha 10
2010s 14,913 1000 ha 14,590 1000 ha 15,072 1000 ha 10
2020s 14,486 1000 ha 14,470 1000 ha 14,502 1000 ha 6

Countries ranked near Southern Asia

  1. 17 Congo 12,931 1000 ha compare
  2. 18 India 11,904 1000 ha compare
  3. 19 Suriname 9,701 1000 ha compare
  4. 20 Guyana 9,477 1000 ha compare
  5. 21 Chile 8,928 1000 ha compare
  6. 22 French Guiana 7,587 1000 ha compare
  7. 23 Madagascar 7,373 1000 ha compare

See the full ranking of 213 places →

More environment data for Southern Asia

All data for Southern Asia →

Frequently asked questions

What is primary forest — area in Southern Asia?
Primary forest — area in Southern Asia was 14,502 1000 ha in 2025, according to Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
What is the highest primary forest — area recorded in Southern Asia?
The highest recorded value was 15,072 1000 ha in 2015.
What is the lowest primary forest — area recorded in Southern Asia?
The lowest recorded value was 14,087 1000 ha in 1990.
How does Southern Asia rank for primary forest — area?
Southern Asia ranks 20th out of 31 groups with data for 2025.
Is primary forest — area rising or falling in Southern Asia?
Over the last ten years it is down 3.8%. The long-run trend across the full record is flat.
Where does this Southern Asia data come from?
The figures come from Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, published as part of Primary Forest — Area. Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.

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Primary Forest — Area in Southern Asia. Statizoid, drawing on Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Retrieved 27 September 2026, from https://environment.statizoid.com/stat/primary-forest-area/southern-asia/

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About this data

Indicator
Primary Forest — Area
Unit
1000 ha
Source
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
Licence
CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO (FAO)
Coverage
213 places, 7,478 data points, 1990–2025
Last refreshed

The FAOSTAT Land Use domain contains data on twenty-one land use categories and twenty-three categories of irrigation and agricultural practices. Data are available yearly and by country, regional and global levels. The domain includes Land Use Indicators providing information on the percentage share of agricultural and forest land, and their sub-components, including irrigated areas and areas under organic agriculture, within a country land use matrix. Data are available at country, regional and global level, for the following elements: (in percentage) i) Share in Land area; ii) Share in Agricultural land, iii) Share in Cropland; and iv) Share in Forest land; (in ha/pc) v) Area per capita.